I find it funny that Germans have "current rules". In English, we just fight about the rules, and different people have different ideas of what they should be, and nothing ever gets resolved. And, in our un-German-ness, it would never cross our minds that there should be anyone that gets to decide the rules for us. It's... well... un-American.

Oh man, can't stop laughing. I have done this so many times (well I didn't actually go to the back of the line). And then when coming back to the US, caught myself rehearsing what I'd say before getting somewhere only to realize I didn't need to do that anymore.

You're so right, I do that too! It's become a habit. I mean, I guess it's not bad to know what you're going to say beforehand.

But also, I LOVE the feeling of coming home and just being able to roll with the conversation, you know? Speaking foreign languages, every conversation you have to pay really close attention so that you don't misunderstand something or get it wrong somehow. In English you can just relax, share a joke with the guy behind the counter, take it easy. It's like the linguistic equivalent of sliding into a hot tub after a long day.

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ITCHY FEET is the weekly web comic about travel, life in foreign countries, and learning new languages. Readers can expect an astonishing array of exaggerated facial expressions, humorous situations involving foreigners and foreign lands, and ordinary silliness.